Hi, all.
Between the Build Back Better Bill getting most of its climate provisions gutted and the complete flop that was COP26, most climate activists in the US are pretty frustrated with what’s happening on a federal level at the moment. As a result, there’s a plan to gather near President Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware from noon on Christmas to noon on New Year’s Day to demand that President Biden take executive action on climate change. If you will be in the area, you can sign up for shifts, and if you won’t be in the area, there are options to assist remotely as well. Find the details here.
While the national scene may be gloom and doom at the moment, there are some rays of hope poking through at the local and state levels. For starters, Boston recently elected a committed climate candidate, Michelle Wu, to be its mayor, and she’s got big plans–including divesting the city from fossil fuels and investing in a fare-less public transit system. And there are many others doing impressive work around the country. Read more here.
Plus, check out this tech-fueled, young-women-led, climate change non-profit called Climate Cabinet Education that’s aiming to leverage local seats of power, including public utility boards, to fight the climate crisis. In reference to the tactic employed by Billy Bean to transform the Oakland Athletics baseball team in the 2000s (and written about by Michael Lewis), the co-founders are cleverly calling what they are doing “moneyballing” the climate movement. In this interview with Forbes, one of the co-founders explains: “We’re not paying enough attention to state and local governments, which actually have huge potential to move the needle on climate change. There are lots of best practices that can be shared. We want to proactively find and equip these local policymakers with the resources they need to start taking climate action now.” Cool stuff!! And, if you’re in Virginia or North Carolina, here are a couple of ways to leverage that local power and turn it into some meaningful change: Petition for Energy Reform in Virginia and Petition for Energy Choice in North Carolina.